{"id":1818,"date":"2018-03-23T21:06:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T21:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/?post_type=news&p=1818"},"modified":"2018-04-26T14:56:20","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T14:56:20","slug":"bernarda-alba","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF student Ibis Enid Rodr\u00edguez has prepared for her roles in last fall\u2019s Seminole State production of\u00a0The House of Bernarda Alba<\/em>\u00a0and in the upcoming Theatre UCF musical adaptation\u00a0Bernarda Alba\u00a0<\/em>for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

The actress recalls when she saw\u00a0La Casa de Bernarda Alba<\/em>\u00a0for the first time, \u201cI fell in love with the play, and with the playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. Thirty-two years studying and reading Lorca and discovering the beauty and passion of his work was the wave that drew me to audition first for the play at Seminole State College, and a month later the musical version at UCF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her passion for Spanish theatre and literature drives her studies at UCF. She is pursuing a bachelor\u2019s degree in theatre studies and a minor in Spanish. In preparing for her roles in the productions, Rodr\u00edguez showed her passion for Hispanic literature and was enthused with the opportunity to research more about the play, the playwright, \u201cthe beautiful town of Valderrubio, the story behind it all \u2013 I have to confess that I am amazed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Starring in the title role in the\u00a0bilingual productions<\/a>\u00a0at Seminole State last fall, Rodr\u00edguez learned her lines in both English and Spanish in only one month. It wasn\u2019t learning the lines that was the difficult part, however. \u201cLooking inside the house through Bernarda\u2019s eyes was a challenge. We are so different! Bernarda is dry and emotionally distant. She has no compassion and shows no love unto her daughters because she is consumed and blinded with what\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>will say, and completely oblivious to the storm that was taking force in her household and the hearts of her daughters. Her daughters desired freedom, love and passion and maybe the tenderness of a caring mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernarda Alba<\/em>\u00a0tells the tale of a powerful matriarch who imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband\u2019s funeral: \u201cNot a breath of outside air is going to enter this house. It\u2019s going to feel like we\u2019ve bricked up the doors and windows,\u201d she proclaims. Bernarda\u2019s five daughters, however, struggle with her cold wishes. The girls\u2019 dreams and desires challenge their mother\u2019s harsh rules and the outside world begins to slowly permeate their isolated existence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut even through the experience of such cold stiffness I was able to meet Bernarda in the most intimate of her thoughts and the story of her insecurity and vulnerability, which was a unique experience,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez says. \u201cI\u2019ve learned much about Bernarda. Yes, so different, but maybe there is a speck of dirt in my soul similar to Bernarda.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Theatre UCF production of the musical\u00a0Bernarda Alba,<\/em>\u00a0Rodr\u00edguez plays Maria Josefa, Bernarda Alba\u2019s mother, who suffers from dementia. \u201cSuch an intriguing and marvelous character,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez says. \u201cI like to think about Maria Josefa not as an eighty-year-old lady with dementia, but the mind of someone that passed beyond what society was dictating in that time.\u201d Bernarda Alba, in contrast, is obsessed with appearances and what others say about her and her family.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez has worked in the performing arts for 36 years as a singer, actress, director, producer, designer and writer. She is also the founder of OMANOT Productions, dedicated to developing the gifts and talents of Hispanic artists. Rodr\u00edguez wrote and directed the short film\u00a0Silence Within the Blood<\/em>\u00a0which won the Spirit Award in Ola Fest 2011 in partnership with Valencia Motion Pictures, and she has been the lead role in the short films\u00a0A Traves de ti<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Parece que va a Llover<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Francisco Fern\u00e1ndez-Rubiera, an assistant professor in Spanish, and Lisa Nalbone, director of the Spanish master\u2019s program have worked with Rodr\u00edguez since her arrival at UCF two years ago. Fern\u00e1ndez-Rubiera compliments how involved she is with multiple programs at UCF: the Spanish minor, the Spanish Graduate Association (SaGA), Theatre UCF productions and department, in addition to community theatre involvement. Just in the past two semesters, Rodr\u00edguez has performed not only with Seminole State College and the downtown Orlando Mad Cow Theatre, but also approached Nalbone about performing at the annual\u00a0Spanish Graduate Research Colloquium<\/a>\u00a0this past February.<\/p>\n

\u201cIbis combines her academic pursuits with performative arts in ways that inspire those around her and promote a deeper interpretation of Spanish literature and culture,\u201d Nalbone says. \u201cTo see Ibis perform is to gain appreciation for her talent to bring to life the worlds and words of famed Spanish playwrights. Ibis represents extraordinary spirit, and her vivacity is secondary only to her commitment to promoting the arts through study and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish that we had more students like Ibis, especially so focused and concentrated on what she wants to do,\u201d says Fern\u00e1ndez-Rubiera, further explaining that most students who pursue the minors, majors and certificates in Spanish are interested in teaching, translating, or possibly in Spanish literature, making Rodr\u00edguez distinct in more than her personality: She is pursuing the Spanish master\u2019s with a specialized focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Ph.D. material!\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez-Rubiera says. \u201cShe\u2019s not a typical undergraduate student, she\u2019s very concentrated in the class, she takes everything very seriously, and she\u2019s very professional \u2013 I\u2019m very happy to have Ibis.\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez-Rubiera remembers the packed house at the Seminole State performance he attended and lauds Rodr\u00edguez for promoting bilingual arts events. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely an interest, especially now with the amount of people from Puerto Rico that are coming to Orlando \u2026 the community is getting bigger and bigger,\u201d he says. \u201cThese [bilingual] offerings are great, not only for the programs, but for the institution, and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The arts interest and community following has not been lost on Rodr\u00edguez. \u201cIt is a dream come true \u2013 two institutions that noticed our Latino roots and gave us the opportunity to be recognized as playwrights and as actors and that we have a wonderful world of stories to tell.\u201d Seminole State picked a bilingual cast and presented\u00a0La Casa de Bernarda Alba<\/em>\u00a0for the first time in English, but also held two productions in Spanish. \u201cI truly believe that this is an awakening to all the beauty that we have in our Latino and Hispanic literature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez will graduate in May with her bachelor\u2019s degree in theatre studies and a minor in Spanish. A native of Cayey, Puerto Rico, Rodr\u00edguez graduated from Valencia College with two associate degrees, one in theatre and one in film, and transferred to UCF. She plans to continue her interdisciplinary journey and pursue a master\u2019s degree in Spanish peninsular and Hispanic theatre literature with the department she has become so involved with at UCF.<\/p>\n

She hopes to have as packed a house in the Theatre UCF Main Stage as she did in the Seminole State production. \u201cThe support from the Hispanic community and even from those who don\u2019t speak Spanish was wonderful \u2013 everyone can enjoy and delight in the story of Bernarda. The songs are amazing, beautiful, and impressive in structure. The costumes, the harmonies, the choreography and the overall story Lorca graces us with \u2013 you will marvel at it all!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernarda Alba<\/a><\/em>, based on the play\u00a0<\/em>The House of Bernarda Alba, will be presented March 22-31 in the Theatre UCF Main Stage. A post-show reception will be held following the opening-night performance\u00a0<\/em>Thursday, March 22<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and a post-show talkback following the Saturday, March 24 performance will include M.C. Santana of UCF Women\u2019s & Gender Studies, Lisa Nalbone and Martha Garc\u00eda from UCF Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, and School of Performing Arts artistic director Julia Listengarten following the performance on\u00a0Saturday, March 24<\/a><\/em>. Tickets are available at theatre.ucf.edu or 407-823-1500.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on UCF Today.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Innovative and interdisciplinary, Ibis Enid Rodr\u00edguez makes the most of her UCF experience as both a theatre and modern languages and literature student.","protected":false},"author":"","featured_media":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg","template":"","categories":[18,19],"tags":[],"dept":[67],"class_list":["post-1818","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlight","category-student","dept-modern-languages-and-literatures"],"acf":[],"approved":3,"site_name":"Modern Languages and Literatures","yoast_head":"\n\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Innovative and interdisciplinary, Ibis Enid Rodr\u00edguez makes the most of her UCF experience as both a theatre and modern languages and literature student.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Languages and Literatures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-04-26T14:56:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2008\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3008\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/33\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-23T21:06:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-04-26T14:56:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/33\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/33\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg\",\"width\":2008,\"height\":3008,\"caption\":\"Ibis Enid Rodriguez\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/news\\\/bernarda-alba\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/\",\"name\":\"Modern Languages and Literatures\",\"description\":\"The central page for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Central Florida.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/languages\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures","og_description":"Innovative and interdisciplinary, Ibis Enid Rodr\u00edguez makes the most of her UCF experience as both a theatre and modern languages and literature student.","og_url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/","og_site_name":"Modern Languages and Literatures","article_modified_time":"2018-04-26T14:56:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2008,"height":3008,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/","url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/","name":"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF - Modern Languages and Literatures","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-23T21:06:05+00:00","dateModified":"2018-04-26T14:56:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2018\/03\/12-BernardaAlba_IbisRod.jpg","width":2008,"height":3008,"caption":"Ibis Enid Rodriguez"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/news\/bernarda-alba\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Bernarda Alba\u2019 Actress Combines Love for Arts, Humanities at UCF"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/","name":"Modern Languages and Literatures","description":"The central page for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Central Florida.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1818"},{"taxonomy":"dept","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/languages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dept?post=1818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}